Plant species cannot predict the future but they rely on a large pool of genetic characteristics that allows them to adapt.
Vegetable varieties need this diversity to face the challenges of climate change. With weather patterns throwing up unusually cool and wet or dry and hot growing conditions, we must preserve as many old strains as possible. Some could suit the conditions that vary from country to country and region to region. And it is up to each country to maintain its own seed bank.
In England 20 years ago, Bob Sherman of the organic charity HDRA, now Garden Organic, began a collection of old and unusual vegetables that has become a living library of more than 800 heritage seed varieties. They are grown at the charity's Ryton Gardens, near Coventry, and by volunteer seed guardians.
The French have taken a different tack. The Rhone-Alpes region aims to conserve and freely distribute specifically local vegetable seeds, such as the melon Vert de Bresse and the courgette Blanche de Lyons, plants that brought "gloire et richesse" to the region of Lyons between the 16th and 20th centuries. So, in 2011, the local Centre des Resources Botanique Applique established a network of seed guardians, organisations, gardens, retailers and restaurants. They believe their vegetables are specially adapted to each area and are tastier as a result.
The French model rightly focuses on the benefits of local adaptations. Recent research by my son Eric, a plant scientist, and other researchers has shown that some plant varieties can adapt to different growing conditions in a very short period of time. In a recent paper, Eric, currently of Bern University, examined how the common weed ragwort (Senecio squalidus) had developed to meet different growing conditions in the south of England and Edinburgh. The plant, first introduced to England 200 years ago, only reached Scotland 50 years ago, but in that short time the plants developed different characteristics.
Field studies and glasshouse tests showed southern specimens could tolerate drier and hotter conditions than their northern counterparts which, in turn, coped better with the cold. This rapid adaptation could easily apply to many other species, including vegetables.
So I am delighted to report that Fife Diet, a funded project, is working along these lines. One of the organisers, Fergus Walker, explains its vision is to "set up a national collection of Scotland's unique heritage varieties of vegetables, fruit, grains and other plants", a goal he would achieve by setting up a network of people saving seed across the country.
Walker concedes it is a daunting task and that it will be a challenge for Fife Diet to accomplish it without assistance, but his organisation is doing its bit. Last August, Walker and a group of enthusiasts took a "seed truck" on a tour from Ullapool to Aberdeen and on board was a seed kist - "a treasure chest of Scotland-specific seeds".
"We ran workshops, held ceilidhs and collected seeds," he says. "We were surprised by just how many people came forward and donated seeds."
Walker is especially keen to promote and preserve regional specialities and this should provide a seed bank that will help establish new varieties to "strengthen the supply of vegetable seeds, for which there is currently no dedicated Scottish supplier".
Vegetable seeds specially adapted to Scotland's growing conditions and needs have never been developed, so we should wholeheartedly support the aims of the Fife Diet.
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